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@lniber$itp af &dmtc~ekr.mn Coliege of IZlgricuIture SOIL SURVEY of The Birch Hilk1Ielfort -1rea including The Municipalities of Carrot River SO. 429, Invergordon Xo. 430, 11’eldon SO. 4.59, Birch Hills No. 460 Contribzlted b> DEPARTMEXT OF SOILS SOIL SURVEY REPORT SO. 7 SASKATOON, SISIiATCHE\1-;1S March, 1938 TABLE OF CONTENTS (The Soi1 Map is Inserted inside the Back Cover) Page MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF SOIL SURVEY AREAS ........ IV. ILLUSTRATIONS AND LIST OF TABLES. .................... V. INTRCTDUCTI~ .............................................. VI. DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA. ............................... 1 LOCATION AND EXTENT. ...... TOPOGRAPHY .................... : DRAINAGE. ..................... NATURAL VEGETATION ........ ; CLIMATE ............................ AGRICULTURE ...................... 1: DEVELOPMENT AND TYPE ..... 10 CROPS ........................... 11 LIVESTOCK. ..................... 15 LAND VALUES, TENURE, ETC . 15 MISCELLANEOUS ................ 17 SOILS- SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION ............................ 17 SGIL SERIES .............................................. 19 SOIL TYPES AND GENERAL LAND CLASSES ............ 21 M&ort Silty Clay Loam. ................................ Melfort Silty Clay Loam, Rolling .......................... ;3 Melfort Silt Loam. ...................................... 23 Melfort Loam. .......................................... 24 M&ort Very Firie Sandy Loam. .......................... 24 Waitville Loam. ........................................ 25 Waitville Loam, Hilly. ................................... Waitville-Melfort Transition. ............................. 2; Crystal Springs Loam. ................................... 27 Pines Fine Sandy Loam. ................................. PinesSand ............................................. ?i LacustrineSoils ......................................... 33 peat ................................................... 33 Alluvium ............................................... 33 . PRINCIPLES OF SOIL FERTILITY AND CHEMICAL COM- POSITION OF SOIL TYPES. ............................ 34 PHYSICAL COMPOSITION AND MOISTURE RELATIONS. 40 SO’IL MANAGEMENT- ClearingandBreaking ................................... General Tillage. .......................................... WeedControl........................................... Ro~tions .............................................. Alkali .................................................. SoilDriftilbg ............................................ SUMMARY .................................................... APPENDIX POPULATION ............................................................ OOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT .......................................... 57 RAILWAYS. ROADS AND MARHRTS .................................... 85 SOIL SURVEY METHODS ................................................ SURFACE GEOLOGY ..................................................... 59 BOIL MAP (Insert on Rack COVea) III. SKETCH MAP OF SASKATCHEWAN SHOWINQ THE LOCATION OF THE SOIL SURVEY AREAS 44 NO. 7-Birch Hills-Melfort Area herein described. NOS. l’to 6-Other meas for which reports are published: (1) Moom Jaw; (2) Swift Current; (3) Govenlock; (4) Weyburn; (5) Oxbow; and (6) Rosetown. Nos. 8 and 9-Arem either pmtly or wholly surveyed and for whioh reports are to be published: (8) Leader; and (9) Saskatoon. IV. ’ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS page Fig. l.-Sketch Map Showing Natural Vegetation. 3 Fig. 2.-Small L-es Occupy Many Low Areas.:. 5 Fig. 3.-Grass Stands are Luxuriant in Park and Prairie Areas.. 6 Fig. 4.-View Over Pleasant Valley at Harvest Time. 13 Fig. 5.-Vegetable and Forage Crops Grow Especially Well on Soils of the Melfort Series. 14 Fig. 6.-One of the Better Types of Farmsteads ............ 16 Fig. I.--Profile of the Waitville Loam. ................... 20 Fig. 8.-Profile of the Melfort Silty Clay Loam. ........... 20 Fig. 9.-View Over a Park Area of the Melfort Plain. ...... 22 Fig. lO.-View Over an Area of Waitville Hilly Loam. ....... 26 Fig. Il.-Heavy Stands of Poplar Timber Occur in Places .... 43 Fig. 12.-Breaking Brush Land. .......................... 44 LIST OF TABLES Table l.-Temperature and Rainfall Records. ..................... 8 Table 2.-Temperature and Rainfall Records for Melfort and Pilger. 9 Table 3.-Frost Records ........................................ 9 Table 4.-Humidity Records. .................................... 9 Table 5.-Yields and Acreages of Crops. .......................... 11 Table, 6.-Condition of Farm Land by Municipalities. ............... 12 Table 7.-Numbers of Livestock in the Surveyed Area. ............. 15 Table 8.-Soil Classes ........................................... 18 Table O.-Ares and Charaeter of Soi1 Types. ...................... 30 Table l,O.-Chemical Composition of Soi1 Samples. .................. 36 Table Il.-Loss on Ignition of Soi1 Samples. ....................... 37 Table 12.-Fertility as Measured by Soi1 Supplies and Needs of the WheatCrop ...................................... 37 Table 13.-Mechanical Analysis of Soi1 Samples. .................... 41 Table 14.-Moisture Equivalents of Soi1 Samples .................... 42 Table 15.-Population by Municipalities. ........................... 56 Table 16.-Population of Towns and Villages. ...................... 56 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors wish to acknowledge assistance rendered by the Depart- ment of Agriculture, Regina, for general direction of the projeot and for supplying most of the necessary funds; by the Topographical Surveys Branoh of the Department of Interior, Ottawa, for supplying topographical base maps and for lithographing and printing soil maps; by various members of the staff of the University of Saskatchewan for useful information on matters relating to their special fields of work; and by farmers and munici- pality officers in the survey districts for useful information as to 10~1 conditions. V. INTRODUCTION The Saskatchewan Soi1 Survey is conducted by the Depart- ment of Soils of the University of Sas,katchewan at Saskatoon, under the direction of the Provincial Department of Agriculture at Regina. Field operations were started in 1921. TO date nine areas, representing approximately 15,000 square miles, have been com- pletely or partially surveyed on a fairly close reconnaissance plan. A start has also been made on a broader type of reconnais- sance soi1 survey with the aim of covering the whole province in a few years time. This report and its accompanying soi1 map represents the seventh set to be published. A complete list of these publications, together with a map showing the general location of the surveyed areas, are given on page IV. The primary purpose of a soi1 survey is to classify the various types of soi1 in a given area according to characteristics determined by field and laboratory examinations and tests. The various types are outlined on a map and described in the accompanying report. Many useful applications, both practical and scientific, may be made of the accumulated information. Farmers, prospective settlers, colonization interests, real estate dealers, loan companies, experimental farm workers, statisticians, land appraisers, and road commissioners are a few who have found the work of value. The information is given in two separate parts, the soi1 map and the report. The map outlines the boundaries of the areas of the various types of soil, and the report describes them in detail. Such matters as climate, agriculture, community development, markets, etc., are considered, in order that a broad interpretation may be given of the values and agricultural utilization of lands, and to aid in work of soi1 investigations. An explanation of the system of classification is given on page 17. An interpretation of the chemical composition is given in the discussion of “Principles of Soi1 Fertility” on page 34. Although the information in each report is intended especially for the district surveyed, .much of it is applicable to surrounding country when one becomes familiar with general soi1 character and related matters. The area is quite typical of much of the mixed park and wooded or “bush” lands of the northern and northeastern parts of settled Saskatchewan. VI. Soi1 Survey of the Birch Hills-Melfort Area By A. H, Joei, F. H. Edmunds and J. Mitchell DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA Location and Extenb-The Birch Hills-Melfort area is situ- ated about thirteen miles east of Prince Albert, and about thirty- two miles north of Humboldt. The main Canadian National Railway line from Prince Albert to Winnipeg r-uns across the central part of the area. The north boundary is along the Saskatchewan River. The general position in respect to the Province and to the , other areas of which soi1 surveys have been made, is indicated on the sketch map (page IV.). It Will be seen that this area is the most northerly one yet surveyed from a soils standpoint. The area comprises the four rural municipalities of Car-rot River No. 429, Invergordon No. 430, Weldon No. 459, and Birch Hills No. 460. The area lies within Townships 43-49 inclusive and Ranges 19 to 26 inclusive, West of the second meridian, al- though a11 of the land within these townships and ranges is not included in the area, as Will be seen by referring to the map. The total area of the district is about 1,315 square miles or 841,600 acres, of which about 2.1 per cent. is occupied by water. Topography.-The area cari be divided into two ma<n topographical units, which for convenience in description Will be designated the “Melfort Plain” and the “Birch Hills,”